Ambergris is a solid wax, which is formed from excretions of the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus L. (Physeteridae), via a bacterial and enzymatic process. It has been known that the odorous compound AMBROX® (a registered trademark name of Firmemich SA, Geneva, Switzerland), a naturally occurring triterpenoid with wide perfume applications in industry, can be obtained from ambergris. However, because it is difficult to obtain ambergris from endangered sperm whales at present the availability, ambergris and natural AMBROX® are largely
The current techniques to obtain AMBROX® are via chemical synthesis. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,290,955 and 5,463,089, as well as WIPO Patent Publication No. WO 2012/085056 A1 disclose methods for chemically synthesizing AMBROX® (i.e. (−)-3a,6,6,9a-tetramethyl-dodecahydronaphtho[2,1-b]furan), which are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2012/0301956 A1 discloses that polar hydroxylated enantiomers of ambrox can be prepared using a microbial fermentation technique using a fungi, Fusarium lini, and offer new highly prized odiferous characteristics quite different from ambrox and can be used in the preparation of perfumes, odor-masking and other odor-management applications, and the full text is incorporated herein by reference.
It is therefore the Applicant's attempt to deal with the above situation encountered in the prior art.